THE TROUT PEOPLE

Welcome to Lunsklip Fisheries

At the foot of a magnificent Mpumalanga waterfall, the pioneering Van der Merwe family built Lunsklip Fisheries – one of South Africa’s first trout farms. This was way back in 1972, when few people knew about trout and aquaculture. Gerrie and Hannetjie van der Merwe were joined in the mid 90’s by their graduated sons Stephan and Reinier. They formed the Lunsklip Group of Companies, producing live and processed trout for the South African markets and disease free certified trout ova for the international market.

Their farms in the Kwena Basin (near Dullstroom and Lydenburg) and Sabie areas, are known for their pristine water quality and environmentally friendly and sustainable farming practices. As true pioneers in the industry, they are known as The Trout People, Proudly South African and actively involved in the structuring and governance of aquaculture locally and abroad …

Trout On The Menu

We offer a wide range of trout products including a line of fresh trout products, smoked trout products and speciality trout products.

Trova Trout

Our Trova Trout Farm has been producing quality genetics, certified disease free without interruption since 1998 – to date the oldest disease free certified farm in South Africa.

Live Trout

Lunsklip Fisheries is a national live fish supplier to approximately 70% of South Africa’s trout dams, streams and aquaculture farms.

Why Choose Us

On the edge of the Mpumalanga escarpment, close to Dullstroom, the clear and cold waters of the Lunsklip river tumble down a sheer rock face for over seven hundred feet to the valley below.

Here the Van der Merwe family built Lunsklip Fisheries, their trout farm specialising in live sales, trout production and processing, and ova exports from their Trova farm near Sabie. As pioneers in the industry since 1972, they are known in the South African aquaculture and fish consumers’ market as The Trout People.

How It All Began

Salmon and Trout represent the backbone of aquaculture worldwide and South Africa is no exception. Trout started reaching the South African food market in noticeable volumes by the mid-seventies. It was first introduced around 1890, when brown trout ova arrived on a sailing ship from Scotland.

At a Cape Town brewery where Newlands is today, the first fingerlings were hatched.